Hydrogen chloride (HCl) and deteurium chloride (DCl) lasers have been demonstrated by various techniques. Perhaps the most widely used method of perfecting the conditions for HCl or DCl lasing employs a pre-combustor for forming excited chlorine atoms which are admitted into a laser cavity along with an excess of hydrogen or deteurium at a predetermined pressure and concentration to cause HCl or DCl to be formed in an excited vibrational state which subsequently lases. The high temperature causes a highly corrosive state to exist in the pre-combustor, the laser cavity, and the mechanical pumping or chemical pumping system.
Considerable efforts have been expended in experiments wherein premixing of chlorine and hydrogen gases is accomplished at room temperature; however, even at room temperature, chlorine gas and hydrogen gas are reactive, although the reaction is slow, sufficient HCl is formed to deactivate any lasing action. The advantages of lasing at room temperature after meeting the requirements of obtaining homogeneity of the premixed reactant gases for HCl or DCl lasing have not been fully achieved because of the deactivation species present in the laser cavity. Thus, a chemical laser system which is troubled with deactivation species does not have the performance requirements needed for an efficient, operable system.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide an admixture which can be premixed at room temperature after proper conditioning of the system which is not reactive until the admixture is irradiated with a CO.sub.2 laser thereby causing a dissociation reaction.
A further object of this invention is to provide a chemical HCl or DCl laser that is obtained by irradiating a mixture of COCl.sub.2 +H.sub.2 /D.sub.2 in a laser cavity which effects the dissociation of COCl.sub.2 to produce Cl-atoms in an excited state which subsequently reacts with the H.sub.2 /D.sub.2 present to produce HCl or DCl in an excited vibrational state which lases.